Primary Conversations: Portland Mayor

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What do you want to ask Sam Adams or Sho Dozono?

Greg Macpherson and John Kroger, the candidates for Attorney General, joined us yesterday, and the most glaring differences weren’t subtantive but stylistic.

On Monday we’re hosting the second in our series of “Primary Conversations” — this time with the top two candidates for mayor of Portland — and, while this race is very different, issues of approach more than policy have risen to the fore. Sam Adams and Sho Dozono will discuss the need to fix the city’s roads and schools. They’ll debate details of how to keep Portland livable and affordable and progressive. And they’ll discuss everything from budgets to bicycles. They will vary in their answers. And they’ll both try to convince Portlanders to vote for them. But what will likely stand out is the great difference between their backgrounds, experience, and style.

Sam Adams has been a Portland City Commissioner since 2004. Among other things he’s in charge of the Office of Transportation and the Bureau of Environmental Services. Adams is well known for his ten years as chief of staff for Mayor Vera Katz, when he became known for saying “make it happen.” He considers himself a policy wonk, but critics say he’s too focused on policy to have a big vision for the city.

Sho Dozono is a successful businessman who has owned and operated Azumano Travel for 20 years. Previously he was a social studies teacher and wrestling coach at Grant High School. He’s raised five children in Portland. The Oregonian described him as “a cosmopolitan grandfather with the low-key finesse of someone who has nothing to prove.” Critics point to his lack of experience in city hall as their primary concern.

These two candidates have faced each other in many debates before this conversation, but what’s been missing in the discussions so far? What questions are going unanswered? If you don’t live in Portland, what do you want the next mayor to consider? From potholes to public schools, this is your chance to question Portland’s top two mayoral candidates. What do you want to know?

GUESTS:

Sam Adams: Portland City Commissioner and candidate for mayor of Portland